De Blasio argued that since development is inevitable, the city is better off working to make sure it doesn't totally leave out the poor and middle class.

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"Prices went up, and people were forced out, and what did our city do over those last 10 or 20 years when that was happening? Well, in most cases, nothing," he told the congregation at the Church of God of Prophecy.

"Too much of the time the government just stood idly by, and let market forces shape reality, and that was not fair to working people," he said. "We're not going to make the market reality go away. That's not realistic. But what is realistic is to change the rules of the game."

De Blasio has vowed to build 80,000 new affordable apartments over 10 years, and preserve another 120,000.

To facilitate the plan, he's pursuing two citywide zoning actions — one to create "mandatory inclusionary zoning," which would require 25% to 30% affordable housing for any development that requires city permission, and another set of zoning rules that would allow taller buildings in some areas.

The mayor has vowed to build 50,000 new affordable apartments over 10 years, and preserve another 150,000. But he needs the City Council to approve his plan. (New York Daily News/New York Daily News)

But the proposals have faced rejection from community boards around the city — especially in the Bronx, where all 12 boards gave it the thumbs down. Some residents fret that the affordable housing would still be too expensive for locals, while others dislike provisions that would reduce the amount of required parking, among other concerns.

The Queens Borough Board has also voted against the plan, and in East New York — the first area to get a neighborhood specific zoning plan — the community board cast a no vote last week. The votes are all advisory, but could make it more challenging for de Blasio to get the binding approval required from the City Council.

"What does 200,000 apartments mean? That is enough for half a million people," de Blasio told the church Sunday. "It's like we're ensuring a whole city within us of affordability."

He said his plan is better than past versions of inclusionary zoning, where developers got bonuses for adding affordable housing instead of being required to do it.

"It must be a requirement, not an option, a requirement that affordable housing gets created whenever there's new development in the community," he said. "That is the people taking their share...If you won't, you don't get to build here. It's as simple as that."